Legio I Italica

The Legio I Italica was a Roman legion founded in 275 BC by Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Asina, fighting in southern Italy during the Pyrrhic War and the First Punic War. They captured Syracusae from Syracuse in 263 BC and Lilybaeum from Carthage in 257 BC.

History
Legio I Italica was raised out of the House of Cornelia (Scipii) in 275 BC for the Pyrrhic War, with their headquarters at Cosentia in Scipii lands. The legion's first major battle was the capture of Syracusae during the Greco-Roman Wars in 263 BC, and G. Cornelius Scipio Asina's legion later captured Lilybaeum in 263 BC during the Punic Wars. Legio I Italica was stationed in Lilybaeum and was inactive for several years, acting as more of a garrison than an actual fighting force.